Marilyn Monroe's strange secret to flawless skin
The actress maintained a dangerous beauty ritual that only the boldest can imitate
James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Marylin Monroe were the most recognizable faces in the mid-20th century. The latter was also an icon of beauty, so much so that 57 years after her death, her skin care techniques continue to give people something to talk about.
Norma Jean Mortenson, Marylin Monroe's real name, had a habit of not exposing herself too much to the sun, she used five shades of red lipsticks to achieve her characteristic lips and now, as revealed by the actress Reneé Taylor, she also had a particular routine of beauty.
At an event for the 50th anniversary of the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, Taylor, who used to play Sylivia Fine, the mother of “The Nanny” in the 1990s, recalled that when she met Monroe, she asked her secret for a skin. so dazzling.
“Marilyn Monroe had the most luminous skin I have ever seen. She came to class with Lee Strasberg one day and I had to ask her what she was doing, ”the Oscar-nominated actress began.
“Marilyn told me, 'I smear petroleum jelly all over my body and then go into a hot bath for three hours every morning. That gives my skin a brilliant glow. '"Said Taylor.
The playwright, too, confessed that she tried to imitate Monroe, but her experience was not as calm as that of the late actress, as she slipped out of the bathtub. "So I tried to do it and I almost drowned," explained Taylor.
Although this trick took a long time, it served the model for years. However, nowadays it is not necessary to resort to such time-consuming methods, since that effect can already be achieved with illuminators.
Reneé Taylor has this anecdote in her show "My Life On a Diet" (My life on a diet), where the actress recounts her career in memorable roles in Hollywood and Broadway.
Taylor confessed that she thought that if she ate like a star, she probably could see herself and live like one. On the show, Taylor, she tells different anecdotes about the weight loss and body care tips that Hollywood legends once shared with her.
Among the celebrities who shared tips for the self-described "diet addict" are Joan Crawford, Barbara Streisand and Elizabeth Taylor.
"Marilyn used to eat frozen grapes too," Taylor said in an interview with WGN-TV Chicago.
In the same interview, Taylor recounted her meeting with the protagonist of "Possessed", Joan Crawford.
“I was a little girl and my mom took me backstage and my mom called everyone by her first name. "Hi Joan, I'm Freida," she told him, and that's how he met her. Then she told him: 'I eat raisin bread, but you should only eat raisins. You also have to get whole wheat bread, to prevent constipation. ' I was so embarrassed, but Joan said to my mother, 'How did you know?' "Taylor said.
She also recounted her encounter with Elizabeth Taylor during the "Nanny" recordings, where she asked if she could try on one of her rings, to which the late Taylor refused.
“So I asked her if I could take a picture with her and her representative said yes but at the cost of USD 100. And I asked her why, she told me that because I had to look slimmer, more glamorous and younger, in all his photos and that takes quite a bit of touch-ups, ”explained Taylor.
“So I said, okay, I'll pay her money, but whatever you do to her, do it to me too. So I have a photo of her with her where we look totally unrecognizable ", concluded Taylo who has also been a producer, director and screenwriter.
